Blues rally round Ade

CITY'S players have rallied round distraught team-mate Emmanuel Adebayor as the big striker ponders his immediate future. The Blues ace is back in his homeland, spending time with family and friends after the shocking gun attack on the Togo team bus at the African Cup of Nations last Friday.

The Blues ace is back in his homeland, spending time with family and friends after the shocking gun attack on the Togo team bus at the African Cup of Nations last Friday.

City have given the player indefinite compassionate leave following the attack, in which three people died.

And Benjani, who has helped to fill the big man's boots in his absence, has revealed how he and other players have tried to lift his spirits.

Depending on Adebayor's mental state, he is now free to continue playing for City, and theoretically could turn out against Everton on Saturday. However, that is highly unlikely according to City's sources.

There has been a suggestion that Togo's players could be prevented from playing for their clubs until the tournament is over, as they were officially disqualified but Fifa have indicated that once a player has been released from international duty, he is free to resume his club career.

Any bid by the Confederation of African Football to stop that from happening would be extremely insensitive.

Togo's three-day period of mourning for the victims of the attack ends today and Adebayor may fly back to Manchester later this week.

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Benjani said he and several of the City players have kept in contact with Adebayor.

"I spoke to him and he was down, down, down," said the Zimbabwe captain, whose national team failed to qualify for the tournament.

“It is a difficult time, but I think it helps him to hear from his team-mates. It must be difficult to take when someone dies that way, in the bus you are in. I feel sorry for the whole Togo team.”

City fans also made their feelings plain, repeatedly singing Adebayor's song during Monday night's 4-1 win over Blackburn. And Benjani looked especially emotional during a minute's silence to honour the dead.

He also revealed there is concern about Toure, who remains in the troubled province of Cabinda – where Friday's attack took place – with the Ivory Coast.

“It does affect you, especially when you come from Africa. And Manu is close to us,” he said. “I hope the competition still goes well, but there are other players there, and we still have a player there in Kolo Toure, and you pray that nothing will happen to them.

“You don't expect anything like that to happen anywhere in the world.”